Fr 139 The Protest Life
Reading Questions

Nadeau & Barlow Ch. 17 "The Choreography of Protest"

1.   What surprising statistics did Nadeau and Barlow turn up regarding strikes and unionization in France and the U.S.? 


2.  Why are protests such an important part of French life, according to Nadeau and Barlow?


3.  Why do protests usually take place in Paris, as opposed to other regions?


4.  What gives unions a lot of power in France? 


5.  How does the myth of the French Revolution affect the way people protest and the way the government responds?


6.  What is the general French attitude towards the law?  Why has this attitude evolved, according to Nadeau and Barlow?


Gopnik "The Strike"

1.  Which groups are on strike and why?


2.  What is the underlying current to the strikes of 1995, according to Gopnik?  What do the strikers and sympathizers really want?